He had no general training – and yet he treated at least 126 patients over the years in Kitzeck in southern Styria. On Thursday, a Styrian was in court for this. Overall, he admitted, “It was really rubbish.” The verdict: 18 months in prison.
Although the Defendant has followed – aborted – training as a nurse and hairdresser and wig maker, he has never studied medicine. Nevertheless, he set up a “professionally equipped practice” in the basement of his house, according to prosecutor Gudrun Jakopic. There were neither the certificates on the wall nor an emergency care coat and a doctor’s case. The sign in the car said “Arzt im Dienst” and the tickets said “DrDr.med”.
He administered tick vaccinations, performed punctures, administered antidepressants and made home visits. “A thoroughly mixed field of activity,” the prosecutor described it. Finally, he also performed minor surgical procedures, such as removing inflamed tissue or opening a sebaceous gland. He received a total of about 58,000 euros for his services.
Both hands of patient damaged
His “treatment” for a rheumatic patient had serious consequences: according to the prosecutor, he gave the man saline injections and vitamin B12, which did not help. Soon both hands were damaged and the finger joints became deformed. In 2020, the “doctor” himself went to the psychiatric hospital as a patient and presented falsified findings about a brain tumor – however, the doctors immediately noticed the forgeries.
“How did you come up with the idea of setting up a medicine cabinet profession?” Judge Angelika Hacker wanted to know. The Styrian, who also described himself as a “complementary medicine specialist,” said he did online training as a non-medical practitioner and performed treatments among friends.
“People like you are a danger”
“It was a dynamic, that’s how it developed,” he tried to explain. “It can’t just happen like that. Was that delusions of grandeur or not?” asked the chairman. “I really wanted to help,” the suspect replied. “People like you are a danger,” the judge was convinced.
One of the witnesses was the patient where the wrong doctor excised inflamed tissue from his leg. The man has a prosthetic leg after an accident and continues to suffer from inflammation. According to his own statements, he has been to his ‘doctor’ at least ten times.
He allegedly told him that he was an emergency physician and neurologist – and that he was also present as an emergency physician at the patient’s serious accident in which he lost his leg. However, as of 2018, there were repeated rumors that the doctor was not at all, according to the witness.
Six months unconditional detention
The charges include serious commercial fraud, bodily harm, forgery and quackery. Shortly after noon, the verdict came: the jury sentenced the Styrian to 18 months suspended prison, six of which were unconditional. The verdict is not final.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
